Wrench



A. U. GATES April 7, 1931.

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Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WRENCH Application filed July 20, 1929. Serial No. 379,792.

This invention relates to improvements in wrenches and an object of the invention is to provide a wrench of the lever type which will allow of minute adjustment of the sliding jaw. V

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which the movable jaw may be moved to the desired size corresponding to the object which it is to grip, in which an increasing pressure is applied to the jaw in operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wrench of this character which is of comparatively strong and sturdy structure and which will efliciently perform the functions required of it.

With these and other objects in view the device consists essentially of a fixed jaw carried by a yoke, a sliding jaw adapted to slide in the yoke relatively to the fixed jaw, and locking means in the yoke for the sliding jaw operated by an operating lever carried by the yoke, as more fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form part of the same.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved wrench.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the wrench partly in section illustrating the relative position of the parts in the yoke or casing and the locking and releasing means.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3'-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 2. V Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig.2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates the fixed jaw which is carried on a shank 11, said shank being pivoted as at 12 ina casing or yoke 13. Associated in the yoke 13 with the fixed aw 10 is a movable jaw 14 carried by the shank 15 which terminates in a handle 16. The movable jaw 14 and associated parts iesiidable in the yoke 13 and is formedwith-a guiding portion or channel 14 which slides on and embraces the shank 11 of the fixed jaw 10. The shank 15 is provided on its inner surface with a ser-' rated or toothed edge 17 and said shank is adapted to be moved longitudinally in the yoke 13. To provide locking means for the movable jaw 14 I provide a plurality of pawls or dogs 18 which are pivotally mounted on the shaft or pivot 19 in the yoke 13. These dogs may be of any suitable number and are provided with serrated or toothed edges 20 corresponding to the edge 17 of the shank 1 5 with which they'are designed to engage.

A particular feature of these pawls or dogs is that the toothed surface thereon is graduated, that is, the serrations or teeth on the pawls are formed in staggered relationship with one another so that minute adjustment of the shank 15 in the yoke 13 is provided for,

the teeth of each pawl being adapted to consecutively engage with the teeth 17 of the shank 15 in difierent positions.

It will, of course, be understood that in stead of a uniform setof teeth for each pawl,

V the teeth on one pawl can be made finer than the teeth on the adjacent pawl so that likewise any width of span between the fixed jaw 10 and the movable jaw 14 may be obtained.

In order to retain the pawls in engagement with the serrated edge 17 of the shank 15 I provide a plurality of leaf springs 21, one for each pawl, said leaf springs being anchored or secured in the lower end of the shank 11 as at 22 and are adapted to bear on the pawls as at 23 to press them into engagement with the teeth 17.

It will be noted that the pawls 18 are provided with a curved or cam surfaced lower end 24 and at one side adjacent the ends thereof are formed with fingers 25 for a purpose hereinafter explained. In the sides of the yoke 13 I provide housings or channels 26 in which the pivot 19 of the pawls is adapted to extend as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, and in the housing 26 I provide coil springs 27 which extend between the end of the housing and the pivot 19 of the pawls so that such pivot and consequently the pawls always reesive a downward pressure.

For operating the pawls to release them from engagement with the teeth I provide an operating lever 28 which is pivoted at 29 in the yoke 13, said operating lever terminating at its outer end in a handle 30 which in normal position lies substantially parallel with the handle 16. On the upper end of the operating lever I provide a curved or cam faced surface 31 which corresponds with the curved surface 2 1- of the pawls and is adapted to contact with this surface 24, contact being assured through the downward pressure of the springs 27 on the shaft 19.

On the outer edge of the operating lever a projection or lip 32 is formed which is de signed to engage with the finger on the pawls and remove them from engagement with the teeth 17 of the shank when said operating lever is moved upwardly on its pivot, away from the handle 16 of the mova ble jaw.

In operation, assuming the parts of the wrench to be in the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, when it is desired to apply the wrench to an object, the lever 30 may be operated on its pivot away from the handle 16 and the curved or cam faced surface 31 is, moved from engagement with the corresponding surface 24 of the pawls, so that the pawls through the action of the springs 27 on the shaft 19 are moved downwardly in the housings 26 so that the fingers 25 are moved directly in the path of the lip 32, which lip engages with said fingers and moves the pawls on their pivot from engagement with the toothed surface 17.

The shank 15 is then free to move in the yoke 13 and the operator may then slide the shank and movable jaw to its appropriate position fitting the object to which it is to be applied and the operating lever 30 is then moved on its pivot back to normal position. The movement of the operating lever removes the lip 32 from engagement with the fingers of the pawls and through the action of the leaf springs 21 the pawls 18 are moved back into engagement wtih the shank 15, the teeth of the appropriate pawl engaging with the teeth 17 of the shank, At the same time when the lever is brought to normal position, pres sure being exerted thereon, the cam surface 31. of the operating lever 30 engages with the corresponding surface 24 of the pawls and exerts an upward pressure thereon, against the pressure of the coil springs 27, so that the movable aw is moved upwardly by the engaging pawl and an increasing pressure is exerted on the object to which the wrench is applied, thus affording a tight and firm grip.

In order to allow of pivotal movement of the operating lever 30 the yoke 13 is appropriately cut out as at 33 so as to provide for the passage of the finger 32 and upper portion of the lever into the interior of the yoke for engagement with the pawl.

ing specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings shall be taken as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A lever wrench comprising a yoke, a fixed jaw carried by the yoke, a movable jaw slidably mounted in the yoke relatively to the fixed jaw, a toothed surface formed on the shank of the movable jaw, a plurality of pawls carried in the yoke adapted to contact with the toothed surface of the movable jaw and lock it in predetermined positions, and an operating lever pivotally carried by the yoke for disengaging the pawls from the movable jaw when moved in one direction, a cam surface on said lever for bringing the pawls into engagement with the toothed surface and spring means for normally pressing said pawls into bearing engagement with said cam surface.

2. A lever wrench comprising a yoke, a fixed jaw carried by the yoke, a movable jaw slidably mounted in the yoke relatively to the fixed jaw and terminating in a shank and a handle, a toothed surface formed on the shank, a plurality of pawls pivotally mounted on a common axis in the yoke, toothed surfaces formed on the pawls in staggered relationship to one another, resilient means for pressing said pawls into engagement with the toothed surface of the shank, an operating lever pivotally carried by the yoke for disengaging the pawls from the shank, a cam surface formed on the pawls and a cam surface formed on the operating lever adapted to contact with one another for increasing the pressure of the movable jaw, and coil springs housed in the yoke and exerting a downward pressure on the pivotal axis of the pawls for retaining said pawls in engagement with the cam surface of the operating lever when said lever is in normal position.

3. A lever wrench comprising a yoke, a fixed jaw carried by the yoke, a movable jaw slidably mounted in the yoke relatively to the fixed jaw terminating in a shank and a handle, a toothed surface formed on the shank, longitudinally extending channel housings in the yoke, a plurality of pawls pivotally mounted on a common axis in the yoke, said axis being carried by the channel housings, springs in the housings adapted to normally lZO press the pawl axis downwardly, atoothed hand.

ANDREW URIAH GATES. 

